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We welcome our numerous clients and readers to the Jubilee Year, 2013. It is with pleasure that we introduce our business focus for this year which would emphasise the promotion of Nigeria-Israel business relations.  Top reason being the Federal Government's call for economic transformation through Agriculture in order to contain the raging negative effect of unemployment, especially of graduate unemployment in the country. We are of the opinion that Israeli expertise in modern Agriculture/water resources management and its experience in homeland security matters would accelerate the efforts of the Nigerian Government's Transformation Agenda. In 2013 therefore, our business would focus on security and safety, economic development, travel for healthy living and investment attraction in collaboration with various partners and chambers of commerce in Nigeria and Israel.  Other countries that would be in our business radar are Brazil and Thailand. These countries,...

OVER 15 foreign countries have already signified interest to participate in this year’s edition of Lagos International Trade Fair, against 14 that took part last year. According to the chamber in a media statement signed by the Public Relations Manager of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), organizers of the fair, Tope Oluwaleye, the Chamber has concluded plans for Business-to-Business (B2B) meetings between indigenous and foreign exhibitors seeking trade opportunities and partnerships at this year’s Lagos International Trade Fair, which runs from November 2nd to 11th at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in the heart of Lagos. This, he said, was in line with the theme of the 2012 Fair: “Promoting Trade for Sustainable Economic Transformation” and renewed drive by the government as well as sundry interest groups to showcase and promote potentials in the Nigerian economy. He explained: “LCCI decided to shift the venue of the fair, tagged ‘The Biggest and the Bes...

This is how we address your inquiry: a. LOCATE prospective agents and distributors: • Advertise in relevant newspapers for national coverage • Access database of registered members of various chambers of commerce • Seek directory assistance • Engage in telephone contacts b. SCREEN companies by scrutinizing their information based on their expertise, experience, geographical spread and yearly sales turnover c. VERIFY companies registration and visit to the corporate offices of select companies d. INTERVIEW qualified companies e. CONDUCT business reputation analyses f. RECOMMEND not more than four qualified companies for your assessment, delivered within 26 working days. The following services are provided at extra charges: a. Market Research. b. Agency Performance Audit Contact us on inquiry@ibgnigeria.com or call +234 1 878 2864; +234 809 353 0007.

Nigeria’s potential as a Business Process Outsourcing destination is very bright, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Rajan Swaroop, has said in a report by the Punch Newspapers. Swaroop, who said this at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja, added that the mobile operator with Indian origin would help Nigeria to harness the possibilities of BPO in the country. According to him, through outsourcing, Nigeria can create over one million jobs within a short period of time if the potential is harnessed. The Airtel boss disclosed that one of its partners, Spanco, a specialist in BPO, planned to establish in Nigeria and use it as a hub of its outsourcing operations in the African region. He added that with increasing wages in India, which had a reputation as global outsourcing destination, Nigeria stood a good chance to reap from the global outsourcing business reckoned to be worth multi -billion dollars per annum.

Business experts at the just concluded West Africa Global Trade & Investment Forum in London advised current and potential investors in Africa "not to be caught up in the (business) hype" common on the continent reports 234next newspapers. David Cowan, chief economist and director of Africa at Citigroup, a multinational financial services company, said while "gold rushing (seeking for investment opportunity)" is important for investors in Africa, there are "simple rules" that need to be observed in order to succeed in business. "The first is, don't get caught up in the hype," Mr Cowan said. He said that the big hype at the moment around Africa is meeting the need of the middle class. "But there is no real middle class in Africa. There is growing wealthy elite and there is very rapidly growing poor population which in itself provides huge market opportunity for discerning investors," he added. Mr Cowan also said that invest...

REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE CONCEPT. Definition: A Representative Office is an office established by a company to conduct marketing and other non-transactional operations, generally in a foreign country where a branch office or subsidiary is not warranted. Representative offices are generally easier to establish than a branch or subsidiary, as they are not used for actual "business" (e.g. sales) and therefore there is less incentive for them to be regulated. FUNCTIONS • Coordinate your company’s activities and schedule appointments • Establish contacts with local clients by personal visits, phone calls, emails etc • Assist in business networking and liaison with local clients and prospects and attend meetings • Provide local logistics support including hotels and vehicles reservations, airport protocols, security escort arrangements and visas facilitation • Relate with relevant professionals, trade associations and government institutions • Offer market research assist...

This has become a familiar storyline... During a series of trips to Africa last year, Tim Solso had a realization: China was beating him at his own game. So the chief executive of Cummins Inc., a maker of truck and machinery engines, vowed to catch up. He plans to quadruple the company's sales in Africa to about $1 billion within five years, investing $15 million annually to train staff and build sales offices from Johannesburg to Casablanca. The company recently installed in South Africa an executive to oversee Africa operations, previously supervised from Europe and Indiana. Cummins joins a growing number of U.S. companies vying for a stronger foothold on the continent. Caterpillar Inc., the giant maker of construction equipment, is selling more trucks to Mozambique and Zambia. Harley-Davidson Inc. is opening dealerships in Botswana and Mauritius. General Electric Co. has its first aircraft-leasing office in Ghana for Central and West African airlines. Google Inc., Archer Dan...

London, England (CNN) -- In a business culture where negotiations are fluid and what's agreed on Monday might not necessary mean the same thing on Tuesday, how do you get the job done? It's a challenge some foreigners encounter when doing business in Nigeria. However, things don't have to be difficult explains Dean Foster, president of the cross-cultural training company Dean Foster Associates and author of "The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa." According to Foster, as long as you understand the cultural etiquette, doing business in Nigeria can offer vast opportunities. But, he says, success comes down two key factors: contacts and commitment. " The bottom line is that you cannot expect to go into Nigeria, make the deal, turn around, walk out and expect things to go as planned ," Foster told CNN. "If you're committed to business in Nigeria you have to know that you're entering an environment that requires your constant attention and ...

Water-related diseases such as Cholera are among the most common causes of illness and death, affecting mainly the poor in developing countries. They kill more than 5 million people every year, more than ten times the number killed in wars. According to experts at the National Council on Water Resources (NCWR) that met in Abuja recently, Nigeria currently has the highest prevalence of water borne diseases in the world. This, they added, has resulted in high infant mortality in the country; a discouraging report in the realization of the UN Millennium Development Goals on reduction of child mortality and improvement in maternal health by the year 2015. Women Villagers leave their homes in search of water. AP/Pervez Masih Tackling this epidemic should be of concern to all.The good news is that an Israeli company, CQM has come forward with a product capable of abating the incidence of water borne diseases especially in poor and rural communities where potable drinking water is rare. Howe...

The U.S. Commercial Service is facilitating an Executive-led Trade Mission from the United States to Nigeria, March 8-10. Members of the Trade Mission will spend March 8-9 in Lagos and March 10 in Abuja. They are highly interested in meeting potential partners and associates to discuss trade and investment opportunities in Nigeria. While the mission is in Lagos and Abuja, members will like to hold one-on-one sessions with potential Nigerian partners and end-users like you. If you or any of your members and associates is interested in meeting with members of the trade mission, please send your brief company profiles specifying your area of interest and the company you will like to meet to Anayo.Agu@trade.gov. The trade mission include participants from the following companies: Agribusiness: Reinke Aviation: Boeing Construction:IMS Engineering,Structuracasa Energy: MWP Industrial, Nilution Medical: Alliance Bio-Med, Prime Health, Skelley and STF. Security: Castle Shipboard Security, KD...

One of the issues I think that keep awake all night the leadership of the Federal Government of Nigeria and those looking to replace it is that of improving the lots of Nigerians. Theoretically Yes! It is only five years to 2015, the much talked about year in which Nigeria, as many other countries in the world are expected to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. Also, the home grown Vision 2020 whereby Nigeria hopes to join the community of the twenty biggest economies in the world is just ten years away. The governments at all levels should be unsettling! According to the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan while inaugurating the state steering committee on Vision 2020, he said inter-alia ‘in a fast-paced, globalised, post-industrial world, the challenge to catch-up is very daunting. We are confronted by gigantic undertaking of how to surmount our basic infrastructure gap, of poverty crisis, the human capital deficit and value reorientation. But the job must be done. F...

The shouting headline in many world news media including Nigeria's 234next, August 17, 2010 is this: China has reached another landmark by edging ahead of Japan as the world's second-biggest economy after overtaking Germany as the largest exporter. The change came in the second quarter with the Japanese Cabinet Office conceding China's economy is now bigger, with gross domestic product in the period of $1.337 trillion (£851bn) compared with Japan's $1.288 trillion. Many people saw this coming. As a matter of fact, Economists agree China will become the world's biggest economy, the only difference is over timing. PricewaterhouseCoopers expects it to take the top spot from the US in 2020, while Jim O'Neill, Goldman Sachs chief economist, has plumped for 2027 quoted the British Newspapers, The Telegraph. We have noted and reported in this blog on the bullish attitude of the Chinese in taking new business territories (and protecting it). Despite criticisms of Chines...

The driver has just brought in two chest drawers I bought for half the price from an expatriate returning to his country with his family. From a reliable source, not less than four expatriate families are leaving the services of the company. Many other companies are doing the same as every other week; there are text messages to people close to the expatriate community on household stuff for sale by departing families. It is not unbecoming of these companies that few years ago provided such families with paradise on earth facilities in Nigeria for their expatriate staff. Their kids attend international schools where school tuition fees are not less than $20,000 a year, luxurious lifestyle, exotic vacations, hordes of maids and drivers at the beck and call of the wife of the male expatriate popularly referred to in Nigeria as the ‘Madam’. Those were the good old days. Since the global meltdown, there has been belt tightening by companies especially those that hire expatriates to run thei...

This is 2010 and I am sure you are thinking of where you can find help on investing in Nigeria. Do not look any further! The Federal Government has a one-stop agency set up to assist investors in the country. It is called the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). Also, several investment incentives has been put in place for the stimulation of private sector investment from within and outside the country. While some of these incentives cover all sectors, other are limited to some specific sectors. The nature and application of these incentives have been considerably simplified. The incentives include: (i) COMPANIES INCOME TAX The Companies Income Tax Act has been amended in order to encourage potential and existing investors and entrepreneurs. The current rate in all sectors, except for petroleum, is 30 percent. (ii) PIONEER STATUS The grant of Pioneer Status to an industry is aimed at enabling the industry concerned to make a reasonable level of profit within its formative y...